Teenager 'thrown to his death in river because thugs thought he lied about his PIN'

Drowned: Robert Gill had been enjoying a night out on Boxing Day when he was attacked

A 17-year-old boy was forced to hand over the PIN to his bank card before he was thrown to his death in a fast-flowing river, a court has heard.

But Robert Gill's three attackers, who were described as "predators" in court, did not believe he was telling them the right number and threw him in to the Great Ouse in Bedford, Luton Crown Court was told.

The jury heard the engineering student was punched and kicked, before being dragged by his hair to a bridge over the river. He was then thrown in and drowned, the court heard.

Robert had been enjoying a night out on Boxing Day with his brother as a Christmas treat before he was allegedly accosted by the youths.

Timothy Spencer QC, prosecuting, said Downes and the 16-year-old boy had then taken Robert to a cash machine and made seven attempts to withdraw money but he had insufficient funds.

Mr Spencer said: "They were trying to force from him what they thought was the true pin number they thought he was holding from them.

"In order to do so, they held him on the parapet of a bridge. The fact is no withdrawal from the cash machine was possible because he had less than £10 in his account.

"The likelihood is that he had in fact given them his true pin number. We suggest that in the hapless state he was in, he would have had neither the wit, nor the fortitude, nor the composure to withhold his true pin number from them.

"So in the last moments before he (Robert) hit the water, he would have been in the hopeless position of giving them the number they say he was withholding from them and he had no way out."

Accused: Sean Downes

The court heard that after throwing Robert in the river, which was at its height, Downes and the 16-year-old tried to withdraw money again from a nearby Tesco supermarket, something Mr Spencer described as "callous in the extreme".

They then returned to the home of Luddington, who later told his girlfriend, Lauren Rinaldi, that he had seen Robert swim to the river bank, only to reject help from Downes and the 16-year-old.

Robert's body was found nearby eight days later by police divers after it floated to the surface and caught on a gas cylinder which was in the water.

Mr Spencer added: "The three of them had many opportunities to disengage. They certainly could have left at any moment and, if they were horrified by him going in to the water, they could have, at the very least, gone for one of the lifebelts that was nearby or gone for help."

The court heard that Robert had been enjoying an evening with his brother, 25-year-old Duncan Ratcliffe, who was treating him to a night out after Christmas.

They had started drinking at Mr Ratcliffe's home with one of his work colleagues, before going to a pub in Bedford and then to the New York New York nightclub in the town.

But at about 1.30am Robert was sick in the club and was thrown out by a doorman, becoming separated from his brother.

CCTV footage showed him staggering from the club, before he was accosted by Downes, Luddington and the 16-year-old youth who had been refused entry to the club minutes earlier.

The jury was told that witnesses saw the teenagers pin him up against railings before CCTV allegedly caught Downes and the child defendant take Robert to a NatWest cash machine in the town centre.

Missing: Police search the river in the centre of Bedford for Robert's body

But because he only had £5 in his account they were unable to withdraw money.

The court heard they were then joined by Luddington and escorted Robert to the river.

CCTV shown to the jury depicted the defendants holding him round the neck, allegedly dragging him back in to their path every time he tried to escape.

The court was also told that Robert may have tried to make a "call for help" to his brother but it went unanswered as Mr Ratcliffe did not hear his mobile ringing in the club because of the noise.

After reaching a park next to the river, the teenagers are accused of punching and kicking Robert, knocking him to the ground every time he tried to get up and shouting "wakey, wakey" at him.

He said: "Robert Gill had become a target for these three. They were predators picking on their prey like he was an easy picking, we suggest."

The court heard that Robert was adopted at the age of nine after his parents suffered from serious illness. Both his parents later died but he grew up with his adoptive family and lived in Wilstead, just outside Bedford.

Mr Spencer told the jury: "His mother, Frances Gill, describes him as not being a strong swimmer. Whether or not that would have made a difference is something that you will have to think about.

"She also describes him as not being street-wise and that he was somebody who recoiled from violence and aggression, that when faced with it he would back away."